The world's largest landmass has its share of legendary shores. Cynthia Rosenfeld travels to 12 countries to suss out 33 strands tailored to every taste and budget—along with where to eat, sleep, party, play, and be pampered

Forgive me if I feel compelled to debunk the myth of the Asian beach. This vast geographic expanse, with its exotic islands, fabled archipelagoes, and crenelated coastlines, offers few exquisite and accessible strands compared with, say, the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. "Nonsense," barked everyone with whom I discussed this assignment. When asked for nominations, however, the so-called experts divulged a mere handful and the neophytes conjured a largely mythical Bali Ha'i.

From the North Pacific to the Indian Ocean, rare and tantalizing natural attributes do indeed yield waters from cobalt to lavender, sands so fine that they are without discernible grains, and kaleidoscopic sea life which reminds even the most jaded traveler that we are blessed to live on this breathtaking planet. Arab mariners agreed, bestowing the name Serendib ("Serendipity") on the teardrop isle we now call Sri Lanka, while British and Dutch forces fought for centuries over Indonesia's two-mile-long Run Island—its nutmeg sold in Europe at prices on a par with gold.

But almost as legendary are the threats associated with Asian shores, especially haunting for indigenous communities still struggling to recover from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that killed more than 200,000. Man-made but also disastrous, the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings keep a U.S. Department of State travel warning in effect. And even smiling Thailand wound up in the headlines last year on account of a bloodless military coup. While these events no longer pose a clear and present danger, it was with safety in mind that we omitted from our list certain other sweeps of sand—at least until gun-toting separatists leave Sri Lanka's Arugam Bay and the ethnic rebellion is history for the Philippines' Mindanao Island.

More happily redolent of the region's beaches are the global standard bearers of five-star hospitality and the out-of-this-world beauty and health treatments that can be had at seriously down-to-earth prices. Of course, reputation only goes so far. On Boracay Island, in the Philippines, once routinely ranked among the world's best beaches, I saw more trash than seashells. Less than 48 hours later, however, I sailed along the untouched sands of up-and-coming Langkawi, Malaysia's 99-island archipelago. I even shed a few tears as I left my last footprints on Indonesia's Nihiwatu Beach (I've already made plans to return). In the end, the results of this intrepid survey prove that Asia is, after all, deserving of its reputation for spectacular sands—in quality if not in supposed quantity; one need only know where to look.

Best Beaches Overall
Palawan, Philippines
The Palawan Province's 1,200 miles of sugary beaches wrapped around 1,780 pristine islands have attracted travelers since Chinese traders crossed now-sunken land bridges from Borneo. Its rich ecosystem supports two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: coral-rich Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a limestone karst landscape with an underground tributary that emerges into the sea. Almost as unique is Miniloc Island Resort, where a private beach leads to crystalline waters rife with damselfish (El Nido Resorts, 63-2-894-5644; elnidoresorts.com; doubles, $400–$580, all-inclusive; for more information, see Condé Nast Traveler's twelfth annual "Green List"). Sister property Lagen Island Resort's 51 newer overwater pavilions (doubles, $540–$640, all-inclusive) are overshadowed only by Amanpulo, Amanresorts' 40 huts scattered along Pamalican Island's powdery strand (63-2-759-4040; amanresorts.com; doubles, $575–$750).